Rats will try to hurt mice, and I guess my top thought is that housing suitable for mice is not suitable for rats. Knowing things like their behavior, food preferences, and habitats will help aid your control efforts. A rat’s home needs to be a safe place. For example, Arndt et al. Instead of getting one of each, get two of each kind so they can live … Rats kept with other rats are just as friendly with people. Anything large enough for rats would have bar spacing a mouse could slip through. Housing rats in groups (pdf 260kb). House mice and brown rats are most frequent in houses close to city centres, wood mice in the suburbs, and yellow-necked mice in rural areas in the South-east and Welsh borders. Historical reproductive and growth data were compared for colonies of mice and rats maintained in open-topped cages in either single-species or dual-species barrier rooms. Two or more females will likely enjoy being together if they have adequate space. How should I house my pet rat? Ideally, they should live with a companion of their own species. Most published reports of housing mice and rats together are short-term exposure studies, in which mice are housed in the same room or cage as rats for fewer than 30 d. 5, 6, 9, 10, 25, 29, 44 Published work evaluating the effects of long-term housing of rats and mice together was absent from the literature. They can also be housed in compatible groups. Breeding and Housing Laboratory Rats and Mice in the Same Room Does Not Affect the Growth or Reproduction of Either Species. The downside of pet rodents is that their cages can take up a significant amount of room in your home, especially if you have multiple pets. Mice are highly sociable animals, living in groups in the wild, and so are best kept in pairs or groups. There are several options for housing your pet rats. Search For Search. How should I house my pet rat? Housing. Whatever you choose keep in mind that the space you provide needs to be adequate for the number of rats housed. A limited number of studies have investigated how the long-term housing of rats and mice together in the same room affects the animals. Rats and Mice. Print. Of the three mice, the one you’re most likely to encounter at home is the wood mouse, as this species is even more common in houses than the house mouse. More detailed guidance can be found in the resources and references provided. Here we provide general information on the housing and husbandry requirements of commonly used laboratory rodents, including mice, rats, guinea pigs, gerbils and hamsters. (2010) demonstrated that 3-week co-species-housed mice and rats exhibit abnormal activities in forced swim tests, and co-species-housed mice exhibit enlarged adrenal glands. Rats and mice are social butterflies. It can be … A dominance structure. We recommend that you house at least two compatible rats together. Hamsters, mice, rats, gerbils, guinea pigs, chinchillas and other small rodents can be entertaining and engaging pets. But since they’re too small to be spayed or neutered, males and females can’t be housed together. Providing companionship is an important aspect in their care. Few data exist regarding the effects of long-term housing of rats and mice in the same secondary enclosure. The Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals recommends housing rats and mice separately to reduce the potential for environmental stress to mice.